Balearic Islands marine reserves programme

The project

In the Balearic Islands there are eight marine reserves with a total approximate surface area of 61,800 ha, accounting for 21.1% of the coastal waters of the Balearic archipelago. Marine reserves have proven to be an effective instrument for managing fisheries and marine resources (and the economic activities that they support), and their success have led to there being demand in this regard.

Today, the marine reserves are generally in a precarious situation. This is due to a reduction in the budget and, most particularly, to staff losses in recent years. The reserves need means and staff to function, and resources need to be found urgently to fund the costs of surveillance, monitoring and promotion. This Marine Reserves Programme proposal, therefore, involves the following actions:

A) Increase in surveillance staff: six additional fishery guards are needed (five in Mallorca and one in Formentera) to control the existing reserves.

B) Acquisition of surveillance boats: only one of the crafts used for marine reserve surveillance is modern. Of the rest, three were acquired in 2000 and have far exceeded their expected useful life for non-professional semi-rigid boats, and the fourth is of a brand that has since disappeared and there are no longer any official spare parts on the market.

C) Monitoring: it is essential to monitor the uses and users of the marine reserves for proper management and planning.